Sixteen years later, Perez, 38, is making history as the beloved children's show's first Latino executive producer, ushering in a new season — the show's 53rd — on Thursday.“I did film school, and I never thought that I would be doing TV that was positive for kids,” Perez, a first-generation Mexican American who grew up in California's Bay Area, told NBC News.Creating ‘a feeling of community’ In his new role as executive producer, Perez wants to continue creating stories with the “Sesame Street” characters “that so many kids love and families trust” while instilling “a feeling of community” and a sense of belonging.“We wanted kids to watch the show and feel reflected, feel like we were being authentic to experiences of kids of all backgrounds.” Becoming a dad — and seeing the show’s ‘magic’ Though Perez has worked at “Sesame Street” for a long time, it’s only been in the last three years since he had his own child, he said, that he’s experienced firsthand “what our content, the magic, that it actually does.” “She can watch it with me and learn; it helps her development,” Perez said.Perez, who studied film and production at New York University, said it was the combination of his bilingual and bicultural upbringing that led him to his first job as a production coordinator for "Plaza Sésamo" (a co-production of "Sesame Street" in Mexico) at a time when "they were looking for somebody that could speak Spanish and could work on the show in Latin America on Televisa.""